The UFO Victor Wembanyama settled in San Antonio last June but the 19-year-old Frenchman only took his first steps on the NBA floor on October 26. After 11 matches to acclimatize to the North American league, the No. 1 of the 2023 draft meets the expectations placed on him in a team under construction, where he himself is in the process of building himself.
In the United States, no rookie had been in the spotlight like this in 20 years and the arrival of LeBron James in the NBA. For his first official match with the Spurs, “Wemby” delivered a quality performance against the Dallas Mavericks, tarnished by a 126-119 defeat. With 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block, the 2.24 m interior brought the Texan public to their feet, notably on his first career scoring shot across the Atlantic.
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“A lot of emotions of course but it would have been perfect with a victory,” said the former Boulogne-Levallois player after the match. Two days later against Houston, Victor Wembanyama was already gaining confidence. Scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, he guided his team to their first success in the NBA.
A recital against Phoenix
Within the youngest squad in the league, the 19-year-old French player did not take long to establish a remarkable performance either. A little more than a week after his debut, “Wemby” was sparkling against the Phoenix Suns (132-121 victory) of Kevin Durant, one of his idols. Top scorer of the game with 38 points accompanied by 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in 34 minutes, Victor Wembanyama proved that he was capable of taking the match into his own hands to lead his team to victory.
Kevin Durant was also very complimentary towards the Frenchman after the meeting: “I don’t see anyone like him in the NBA. I know we’re both tall and skinny, I know he watched me play when I was younger, but he watched a lot of others and took inspiration from them. It is unique. It will create its own story, you can try to compare but it will be different from all the others. »
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In addition to this isolated performance, the Frenchman has had a good start to the season overall given his average statistics: 18.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.4 blocks and 3.9 lost balls in 30 minutes per meeting. If we go back 20 years, LeBron James, then 18 years old, played on average 10 minutes more than “Wemby” per game. But the now best scorer in NBA history was less influential in front of the circle during his first 11 matches: 16.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 3.6 lost balls in 40.8 minutes.
In addition to his offensive contribution, Victor Wembanyama uses his 2.24 m to deter opposing scorers, whether in the racket or not. Third best blocker in the league behind Anthony Davis and Brook Lopez, the 19-year-old giant poses a lot of problems for opposing tacticians. His wingspan combined with his speed of movement and his anticipation often force his counterparts to change their minds as they were preparing to attack the circle.
“I think he’s way ahead for a rookie. We can see that he is well coached and that he studies the game. And he will only improve throughout the year. He’s already affecting shots, he’s already getting into the heads of people on defense. Very quickly, he will cause big problems. It’s already a problem [pour ses adversaires] but I think it’s going to cause big, big problems very soon. I am very happy with his development,” said the experienced Rudy Gobert about his young compatriot, last Saturday after their first confrontation.
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Spurs in difficulty despite everything
If on a personal level everything seems to be in order for “Wemby”, the contrast is striking with the collective aspect of the San Antonio Spurs. After 11 matches, Gregg Popovich’s players have a record of three wins for eight losses and are on a series of six losses in a row.
It all started against Toronto in early November. While they led by 22 points just before halftime, the lack of experience caught up with them. Committing too many inaccuracies in front of the circle and numerous ball losses, the Spurs were caught in the last seconds before going into overtime. More crafty, the Raptors therefore dealt a first blow to the morale of the Spurs with this victory (123-116).
Victor Wembanyama’s first 11 matches
• October 26 (loss against Dallas): 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block
• October 28 (victory against Houston): 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks
• October 30 (loss against the Clippers): 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block
• 1st November (victory against Phoenix): 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks
• November 3 (victory against Phoenix): 38 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks
• November 5 (loss to Toronto): 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks
• November 7 (loss against Indiana): 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks
• November 9th (loss against New York): 14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block
• 11 November (loss against Minnesota): 29 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks
• November 13th (loss against Miami): 18 points, 11 rebounds, 1 block
• November 15th (loss against Oklahoma City): 8 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks
The next day at Indiana, Victor Wembanyama and his teammates seemed absent, at least defensively, conceding the heaviest defeat of their season against the Pacers, both in terms of difference (-41) and points conceded (152). -111). Latest hitch to date, the defeat on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder (123-87), which annoyed Popovich quite a bit: “You have to be tired of getting your ass kicked,” he exclaimed at the buzzer after having been quite tender with his young squad since the start of the season.
Popovich: “You learn when you win, you learn when you lose”
The 74-year-old coach knows, however, that the reconstruction project in which San Antonio is part is not doomed to success from the first season. And he regained his calm at the post-match press conference: “You learn when you win. We learn when we lose. Nobody likes to lose, but my players get smarter with each match. »
San Antonio is therefore unable to do so at the start of the season. Once again, the 2023-2024 financial year risks being long for Texan supporters who saw their team finish last season with 22 victories for 60 defeats. But at least Victor Wembanyama gives them a taste for the show again while waiting for the alchemy to take hold and better results to result.
2023-11-17 19:09:21
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